The Busan International Film Festival has unveiled its 10-film selection for New Currents, the event’s main competition section that focuses on Asian cinema. Since the festival launched in 1996, the program has been one of the region’s most important platforms for introducing emerging directors.
This year, two Indian films have been selected for the section including Jaishankar Aryar’s debut film Shivamma (2022), which traces the struggles of a poor and uneducated middle-aged woman; and Aamir Bashir’s The Winter Within (2022), which also depicts the suffering of a woman set in the Kashmir region, where political disputes and terrorist attacks are ongoing.
No End (2022) by Iranian filmmaker Nader Saeivar will also premiere in Busan. The film depicts the story of a man who faces brutal violence as a result of a trivial lie. Singapore’s He Shuming, who has earned widespread recognition by winning several awards for short films, such as And the Wind Falls, returns with Ajoomma (2022). The film has attracted buzz with its international cast, including Hong Huifang, Singapore’s most prominent actress, and Korean stars such as Yeo Jin Goo and Jung Dong-Hwan.
Several debut films by Asian auteurs are also included in this year’s section. A Thai screenwriter Thapanee Loosuwan’s new film Blue Again (2022) is a biographical film that conveys a sophisticated sense of cinematography. Filmmaker Marcus Vu Manh Cuong, also a film journalist, will bring Memento Mori: Earth (2022), a film that captures the director’s perspective on life and death.
Two Korean films – director Lee Jeong-hong’s A Wild Roomer (2022) and Lim Oh-jeong’s Hail to Hell (2022) – are also selected for the section.
A Wild Roomer (2022) is a mystery film surrounding a man who makes a living as a carpenter and the people around him; Hail to Hell (2022) traces the adventure of two girls who are seeking revenge against a villain who is responsible for tormenting their lives.
From Malaysia, Sam Quah returns with A Place Called Silence (2022) after his debut film Sheep without a Shepherd, a 2019 Chinese thriller, became one of the highest-grossing Chinese films of that year. Quah’s latest film is also a thriller about a serial murder case based. It’s tipped to have a well-scripted plot and speedy story development.
Thousand and One Nights (2022) by Japanese director Kubota Nao delves into a story about people who have lost loved ones and deals with the secret of time in a unique way.
The selected films for New Currents will be nominated for awards including the New Currents Award, the FIPRESCI Award, the NETPAC Award and the KB New Currents Audience Award.
Last week, the festival also announced a list of jury members for this year’s New Currents section. Led by a film critic, Serge Toubiana, as the Jury President, director Alain Guiradie, director Kamila Andini, actor Ryo Kase, and director Lee Eugene were appointed.
The Busan International Film Festival opens on Oct. 5 and runs through Oct. 14.
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